“Aşık Veysel in the Media and Through the Lens of Masters” Photography Exhibition, organized to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of Turkish Folk Poet Aşık Veysel, opened with the participation of President Ersin Tatar, President of the Assembly of the Republic Zorlu Töre, Turkish Ambassador to Nicosia Metin Feyzioğlu, Deputy Prime Minister Tourism, Culture, Youth and Environment Minister Fikri Ataoğlu, TURKSOY Deputy Secretary General Prof. Dr. Bilal Çakıcı, President of UNESCO Türkiye National Commission Prof. Dr. Öcal Oğuz, Aşık Veysel’s granddaughter Nazender Süzer Gökçe and many guests at the Near East University İrfan Günsel Congress Center Exhibition Hall.

“Aşık Veysel in the Media and Through the Lens of Masters” Photography Exhibition, organized in cooperation with Near East University, International Organization of Turkic Culture (TÜRKSOY) and UNESCO, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of Aşık Veysel, the most important representative of the folk poet and minstrel tradition in Anatolia, was opened at the East University İrfan Günsel Congress Center Exhibition Hall. The opening of the exhibition was made by President Ersin Tatar, President of the Assembly of the Republic Zorlu Töre, Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to Nicosia Metin Feyzioğlu and his wife Birgül Feyzioğlu, Deputy Prime Minister of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Environment Fikri Ataoğlu, Deputy Secretary General of TURKSOY Prof. Dr. Bilal Çakıcı, President of UNESCO Türkiye National Commission Prof. Dr. Öcal Oğuz, Nazender Süzer Gökçe, granddaughter of Aşık Veysel and with intense participation of art lovers.

Aşık Kenzi, who kept the minstrel tradition alive in Cyprus, was also commemorated in the exhibition, which brought together the hitherto unknown photographs of Aşık Veysel, who is the most important representative of the folk poet and minstrel tradition in Anatolia, which has been the way of expressing the feelings, thoughts and dreams of the Turkish people throughout history.

The exhibition, which can be visited free of charge until May 26, brings together art lovers with the hitherto unknown photographs of Aşık Veysel. In the exhibition, which consists of works by Aşık Veysel’s granddaughter Nazender Süzer Gökçe and her husband Gürsel Gökçe, as well as works from the lens of Ara Güler, Fikret Otyam, Ozan Sağdıç, Ergün Çağatay, İsa Çelik and Mustafa Türkyılmaz, which brings Aşık Veysel to the present day, many materials are on exhibition.

In the 442nd exhibition of the Cyprus Museum of Modern Arts; President Ersin Tatar, Speaker of the Assembly Zorlu Töre, Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to Nicosia Metin Feyzioğlu, Deputy Secretary General of TURKSOY Prof. Dr. Bilal Çakıcı, Deputy Prime Minister, Tourism, Culture, Youth and Environment Minister Fikri Ataoğlu, Aşık Veysel’s granddaughter Nazender Süzer Gökçe and Near East University Rector Prof. Dr. Tamer Şanlıdağ gave speeches.

After the speeches, TURKSOY Deputy Secretary General Prof. Dr. Bilal Çakıcı presented various gifts to President Ersin Tatar, Speaker of the Assembly Zorlu Töre, and Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to Nicosia Metin Feyzioğlu. Near East University Rector Prof. Dr. Tamer Şanlıdağ was presented the Aşık Veysel Medal in commemoration of the 125th anniversary of Aşık Veysel’s birth.

President Ersin Tatar: “It is a special wealth to keep our cultural values alive and to share them with the whole world universally.”
Speaking at the opening, President Ersin Tatar, expressing his happiness at the commemoration of the two important representatives of the minstrel tradition, Aşık Veysel and Turkish Cypriot poet Aşık Kenzi, with such a rich exhibition, said, “We are happy to continue our existence in this country with such values. It is a separate wealth to keep our cultural richness alive and to share them with the whole world universally.” President Tatar underlined that all these cultural and artistic riches have a positive impact on the recognition of the TRNC. President Ersin Tatar said, “We have suffered a lot, we have suffered a lot, but we maintain our existence and do not believe in wars. We owe our existence to our culture, art, and literature, to our ownership of them.”

Emphasizing that the TRNC is an inseparable part of TURKSOY as a representative of the Turkish world, President Ersin Tatar reminded that the Minister of Tourism and Culture Fikri Ataoğlu also represented the TRNC in Azerbaijan and said: “I am proud of you, Mr. Minister. Because we are a part of the Turkish world and we strive to be everywhere.”

Stating that the TRNC overcame the barriers it faced with the great support of the President of the Republic of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and continued its two-state solution policy, President Tatar also thanked the Turkish Ambassador to Nicosia, Metin Feyzioğlu, for his contributions to this struggle.

Saying, “We make our voices heard all over the world with the science and culture and art events hosted by the Near East University,” the President further said, “I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who contributed to this precious exhibition that brings the tradition of minstrelsy, which is a very important part of Turkish culture, and our valuable poets to our people.”

Chairman of the Assembly, Zorlu Töre: “It is an extremely important and beautiful step that the Near East University, TURKSOY and UNESCO lead this event that honors the memory of Aşık Veysel.”
In the opening speech of the exhibition, Töre referred to Aşık Veysel’s saying and said “I have embraced many people as a friend. My faithful half is black soil”. The Speaker of the Assembly Zorlu Töre said, “As İsmail Gaspralı said; Unity in language, unity in business, unity in art, unity in culture is always valuable and important. Aşık Veysel is the poet of the Turkish world who can gather all these together.

Stating that he is happy for UNESCO’s contributions to the commemoration of Aşık Veysel, Zorlu Töre said, “Even though we all know and love Aşık Veysel, there are many aspects that we do not know. Thus, it is an extremely important and good step for the Near East University, TURKSOY and UNESCO to lead this event that keeps the memory of Aşık Veysel alive.”

Zorlu Töre said, “As Aşık Veysel said, ‘I will go, my name will remain’, even though he left us, his name is always with us. With such beautiful commemoration events, we will continue to commemorate Aşık Veysel and keep his ideas alive throughout the Turkish world and the rest of the world.

Metin Feyzioğlu: “Near East University is a home of science, education and art that the Turkish world is proud of.”
Emphasizing the strong bond of the TRNC with the Republic of Turkey, Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to Nicosia Metin Feyzioğlu said, “The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is the stronghold of the Turks in the Eastern Mediterranean, and the Turkish Cypriots are an indispensable part of the noble Turkish nation.”

Reminding that the Turks came to Cyprus at different times since 1571, Ambassador Feyzioğlu said, “The ancestors of some of us came to Cyprus in 1571 and during the Ottoman period. Some of us have come after 1974. It doesn’t matter who comes on what date. Because we are all connected to a single root. That is the Turkish world.” Feyzioğlu stated that the “Aşık Veysel in the Media and Through the Lens of Masters” Photography Exhibition, organized in cooperation with TURKSOY, is very special as it symbolizes these roots.

Saying that this meaningful exhibition hosted by the Near East University increases this importance, Metin Feyzioğlu said, “Near East University is a science, education and art home that the Turkish world is proud of.”

“We all know the contributions of the Near East University to science. Ambassador Metin Feyzioğlu said, “Aşık Veysel, even years after his death, serves as a bridge to the Turkish world and sheds light on us and future generations. I am happy to take part in the opening of this meaningful exhibition and I would like to thank those who contributed.”

Fikri Ataoğlu: “I would like to thank the Near East University, TURKSOY and UNESCO for this event organized to keep Turkish culture alive.”
Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Tourism and Culture Fikri Ataoğlu started his speech by saying “I would like to thank the Near East University, TURKSOY and UNESCO for this event organized to keep Turkish culture alive”.

Minister Ataoğlu said “When I look at the efforts of the Near East University in the field of culture and art, I remember the words of Aşık Veysel, ‘I will go, my name will be left, my friends remember me,’ I want to dedicate this philosophy to the Founding Rector of the Near East University Dr. Suat İrfan Günsel.”

Reminding that Aşık Veysel and Aşık Kenzi were commemorated with the panels held at the University of Kyrenia, Ataoğlu said, “I would like to thank TURKSOY and UNESCO in particular for their efforts to keep our cultural heritage alive. I would like to especially thank the Near East University for hosting us today.”

Referring to the importance of the activities to be held within the framework of museums week, Ataoğlu also called on the people of Northern Cyprus to participate in the activities to be organized during the museums week and to spend this week visiting the museums.

Prof. Dr. Bilal Çakıcı: “All these activities will undoubtedly strengthen the ties of brotherhood between our peoples.”
Reminding that before the opening of the photography exhibition “Aşık Veysel in the Media and Through the Lens of Masters”, many panels were held at the University of Kyrenia within the scope of “The Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, Tradition of Love from Anatolia to Cyprus, Aşık Veysel and Aşık Kenzi Event”, Assistant Secretary General of TURKSOY Prof. Dr. Bilal Çakıcı, thanked the Near East University and the University of Kyrenia for their great support of TURKSOY in bringing their historical, literary, artistic and cultural values together with the TRNC.

Emphasizing the importance of building cultural bridges that unite the Turkish world, Prof. Dr. Bilal Çakıcı said, “The Near East University, which is always with us in our efforts to strengthen the bonds of brotherhood and common culture in the Turkish world, which has a common language, history and culture, is also hosting this important exhibition that will create a new cultural bridge.”

Nezender Süzer Gökçe: “We published the Aşık Veysel Album in 4 volumes and 780 pages by converting it to the Braille alphabet for the visually impaired to read.”
Reminding that UNESCO declared 2023 as the “Year of Aşık Veysel”, Aşık Veysel’s granddaughter Nezender Süzer Gökçe talked about the work they have done with her husband, journalist Gürsel Gökçe, to keep the memory of Aşık Veysel alive and introduce him to new generations. Saying that they prepared and published the Turkish and English versions of the “Aşık Veysel Album from the Lens of the Press and the Masters” in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of his death, Gökçe said that in addition to the photographs of master photographers, the album also includes a selection of Aşık Veysel news and interviews that appeared in the newspapers from 1934 to 2021.

“My grandfather passed away at the age of 79. Although it has been 50 years since he left us physically, unfortunately, none of his works have been brought together with the visually impaired until today. We also published the album we prepared by converting it into Braille alphabet so that the visually impaired can read it.”

Reminding her grandfather Aşık Veysel’s lines “Veysel goes, his name remains, friends remember me”, Nezender Süzer Gökçe said, “I thank all Veysel friends who are with us today.”

Prof. Dr. Tamer Şanlıdağ: “With this exhibition, I invite you to step into Aşık Veysel’s world and look at life and humanity from his perspective.”
Starting his opening speech at the exhibition by stating that Aşık Veysel was an important poet not only for Turkey but for the entire Turkish world, Near East University Rector Prof. Dr. Tamer Şanlıdağ said “The tradition of minstrelsy, which has been registered as the “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity” by UNESCO, is one of the important parts of the cultural diversity and richness of Anatolia as well as its cultural memory. The most important representative of the folk poet and minstrel tradition in Anatolia in our recent history is undoubtedly Aşık Veysel.”

Sharing information about Aşık Veysel’s life, Prof. Dr. Tamer Şanlıdağ stated that the famous poet struggled with difficulties throughout his life, and as a result of all these difficulties, he embraced art and poetry, and there was a deep sadness and love for humanity in all his works. Prof. Dr. Şanlıdağ “Aşık Veysel, who is known not only in Turkey but also in many parts of the world, expressed the universal values of humans and nature with his works. He told us how well the journey of life and people was told in the song “I’m on a Long, thin Road”.

Stating that many photographs and documents about Aşık Veysel’s life and works came together in the exhibition, Prof. Dr. Tamer Şanlıdağ said “These valuable works reached today through the lens of great masters such as Ara Güler, Fikret Otyam and Ergün Çağatay. I would like to especially thank Nazender Süzer Gökçe, the granddaughter of Aşık Veysel, who created and preserved this important collection and kept the memory of Aşık Veysel alive with great effort.”

Stating that the opened exhibition is not only a tribute to the memory of Aşık Veysel, but also an opportunity to transfer his philosophy, values and artistic heritage to new generations, Prof. Dr. Tamer Şanlıdağ said, “With this exhibition, I invite you to step into Aşık Veysel’s world and look at life and humanity from his perspective. Our duty is to protect the art and values of Aşık Veysel and to pass on his legacy to future generations. This exhibition is part of our effort to fulfill this mission.”